Decode HTML Entities Online — Free Tool
- Decoding converts entities like & < back to their original characters
- Common when you copy text from a database, API response, or CMS that over-encodes content
- The free decoder handles all standard named and numeric HTML entities
- No upload, no signup — paste and decode in the browser
Table of Contents
Sometimes the problem is the opposite: you have text full of entities — & < > " — and you need the clean, readable version. This happens when you pull content from a CMS database, receive an API response, or copy from a system that over-encodes its output.
The HTML entity decoder converts entities back to their original characters instantly.
When Do You Need to Decode HTML Entities?
Encoded entities showing up as literal text (rather than rendering as the intended characters) is a common problem in a few scenarios:
- CMS database output — WordPress and other CMSes store content with entities encoded. When you query the database directly or export content, you get raw entities. The strings &mdash; or &amp; appear literally in your exported text instead of — or &.
- API responses — Some APIs encode HTML entities in JSON responses. You receive <p>Hello</p> when you expected the actual characters.
- Email rendering — Copying from an HTML email into a plain text context sometimes carries the entity encoding over. You end up with &nbsp; or &quot; as literal text.
- Double-encoded content — Content was encoded twice. < became &lt; and now shows literally as < instead of <.
- RSS/feed content — RSS feed items are XML-encoded. Parsing them without proper decoding leaves entities in the displayed text.
How to Decode HTML Entities
Open the HTML entity encoder/decoder tool. The same tool handles both directions:
- Paste your encoded text into the input area. Example input:
Tom & Jerry — A Classic Rivalry - Click "Decode."
- Copy the output:
Tom & Jerry — A Classic Rivalry
The decoder handles all standard named HTML entities (&, <, >, ", , —, ©, and hundreds more) and numeric entities in both decimal (&) and hex (&) format.
For double-encoded content, run it through the decoder twice — each pass removes one layer of encoding.
Sell Custom Apparel — We Handle Printing & Free ShippingCommon Encoded Entities and What They Decode To
| Entity | Decoded Character | Name |
|---|---|---|
| & | & | Ampersand |
| < | < | Less than |
| > | > | Greater than |
| " | " | Double quote |
| | (non-breaking space) | Non-breaking space |
| — | — | Em dash |
| – | – | En dash |
| © | © | Copyright |
| & | & | Ampersand (numeric) |
What to Do With Double-Encoded Content
Double encoding means something was encoded twice. The original & became &, and then that & was encoded again to produce &amp;. The output literal text would show & instead of &.
To fix it: run the decoder twice. First pass converts &amp; → &. Second pass converts & → &.
This is common when:
- Content passes through two separate layers that each encode independently
- A CMS exports already-encoded content and the export script encodes again
- A developer manually encodes content that was already auto-encoded by the framework
If the decoded output still contains entities, run it through once more. Repeat until the output looks correct.
Decode HTML Entities Instantly
Paste your encoded text. Get clean, readable output. Free, no signup.
Open Free HTML Entity ToolFrequently Asked Questions
How do I decode HTML entities back to text?
Paste the encoded text into the HTML entity decoder and click Decode. It converts & to &, < to <, " to ", and all other standard entities back to their original characters.
Why am I seeing & and < as literal text?
The content was HTML-encoded before you received it. The entities were not rendered by a browser — you are seeing the raw encoded form. Decode it to get the plain text version.
What if decoding once still shows entities?
The content is double-encoded. Run it through the decoder a second time. Each pass removes one layer of encoding.
Does the decoder handle numeric entities like &?
Yes. Both decimal (&) and hex (&) numeric entities are supported, along with all standard named entities.
